USA2 SPOTLIGHT 

A May 3, 2016 American Pharmacy News article highlighted UsAgainstAlzheimer’s support of an announcement from Eli Lilly and AstraZeneca about their Phase III trials for the oral beta secretase cleaving enzyme (BACE) inhibitor drug for Alzheimer’s. The article quoted George Vradenburg as stating, “Today's announcement is positive news for those of us in the field and is especially bright news for Alzheimer's families worldwide," Vradenburg said. "Lilly's and AstraZeneca's progress reinforces our growing optimism that the industry is on the verge of unprecedented innovation in treating Alzheimer’s.”

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A May 4, 2016 Reuters article reported that “Deutsche Telekom has launched an online game that will help collect research data to fight Alzheimer's disease and dementia.” According to the article, “The company said its digital healthcare services arm had teamed up with university researchers and the Alzheimer's Research Organizations to tap into the global gaming community, which spends an estimated 3 billion hours a week playing online.” Learn more about the research project from Alzheimer’s Research UK here. 

A May 3, 2016 Science Daily article reported that Rockefeller University researchers have found that an “experimental Alzheimer's drug reverses genetic changes thought to spur the disease.” According to the article, “When given to old rats, the drug, which is known to affect signaling by the neurotransmitter glutamate, reversed many age-related changes that occur in a brain region key to learning and memory. The drug also produced effects opposing those seen in the brains of Alzheimer's patients.”

A May 3, 2016 Clinical Leader opinion piece by Anna Molinari underscored the need to tackle chronic under-enrollment in clinical research through a coordinated public awareness effort. According to the article, “As a society, we are unanimous about the need to find treatments that cure Alzheimer’s, cancer and rare diseases.  We have the t-shirts, the wrist bands and the 5K runs to show our support.  But when it comes to testing breakthrough treatments, physicians and clinical trial sites come up short almost every time. The disconnect stems primarily from a lack of awareness.  Too few patients understand how clinical trials work or when they’re eligible to participate, even though participation can provide unpatrolled access to investigative treatments…To encourage participation, Congress might first create an advisory council to synthesize the input of federal agencies, health care providers, patient groups, private sector experts and clinical research groups.  The council’s insight could shape educational materials that tout the importance of clinical trials and urge patients to participate.  Finally, these materials could form the basis of a multi-year, federally sponsored awareness campaign to educate and mobilize the public.” Anna Molinari is a clinical trials specialist and member of the Coalition for Clinical Trials Awareness.